NVIDIA Control Panel Missing [SOLVED]

What is NVIDIA Control Panel?

NVIDIA Control Panel is a hardware control application developed by NVIDIA. When an NVIDIA video card driver is installed on a computer, a Control Panel will automatically come with the driver. It provides NVIDIA video card users with an interface to adjust the driver settings and change the configuration of their NVIDIA hardware.

What to do when my NVIDIA Control Panel is missing?

Many NVIDIA graphics adapter users have reported that they could not find the NVIDIA Control Panel on their Windows computer. They used to be able to find their NVIDIA Control Panel on the desktop context menu. But now they can’t find it there (and some users can’t find it even in Windows Control Panel). This usually happens when upgrading from a previous version of Windows or waking their computer from sleep mode.

You may be very annoyed when you get this issue. You can’t adjust your NVIDIA graphics preferences without this Control Panel. And you may want to find a method to bring it back.

But don’t worry. Here are a few methods that can help you fix this issue. They have helped many NVIDIA graphics users, and may now be able to help you.

Method 1: Unhide your NVIDIA Control Panel

Your NVIDIA Control Panel may be hidden by Windows during the upgrade from a previous version or by software that has accidentally changed the graphics settings. You can open NVIDIA Control Panel in Windows Control Panel and then show it in your desktop context menu. To do so:

1) Press the Windows logo key and R on your keyboard to invoke the Run dialog.

2) Type “control” in the Run dialog and press Enter on your keyboard. This will open Control Panel (of Windows).

3) In Control Panel, under View by, select Large icons.

4) Select NVIDIA Control Panel.

5) In NVIDIA Control Panel, click View or Desktop, and then check Add Desktop Context Menu.

6) Right-click your desktop and see if your NVIDIA control panel reappears in the desktop context menu.

Method 2: Update your graphics driver

If the methods above can’t help you, or you can’t see NVIDIA Control Panel even in Windows Control Panel, you need to update your graphics driver. In most cases, NVIDIA Control Panel disappears because you are using the wrong graphics driver or it is out of date. So you should verify that your graphics adapter has the correct driver, and update it if it doesn’t.

If you’re not comfortable playing around with drivers manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy.

Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to risk downloading and installing the wrong driver, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing.

You can download and install your drivers by using either Free or Pro version of Driver Easy. But with the Pro version it takes only 2 clicks (and you get full support and a 30-day money back guarantee):

2) Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.

3) Click on the Update button next to your NVIDIA graphics adapter to download the latest and correct driver for this device. You can also click the Update All button at the bottom right to automatically update all outdated or missing drivers on your computer (this requires the Pro version — you will be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All).

4) Restart your computer. Then check to see if you have brought your NVIDIA Control Panel back.

Method 3: Reinstall your graphics driver

If updating driver can’t help you, you may need to reinstall it completely. There may be corrupted driver files that simple uninstallation can’t get rid of. You need to clear all the files before you install the new driver.

You can also use Driver Easy to reinstall your driver (also Pro required). To do so:

When I open the Nivida Control Panel all it gives me is the 3D settings. I need to access display, but its not there. Please help.

Isaac Taylor

when i try to open the nvidia control panel it doesn’t even open. when i downloaded nvidia again it said it couldnt find the hardware on the computer…

Jonny Lin

Hi Isaac,
You can go to Device Manager and look through all your devices. Enable all those disabled devices and see if this fixes your problem.

-minecrafter-

why should i buy pro edition for easy driver to reinstall my drivers when i can just use geforce experience?

Jonny Lin

Hi,
It is OK to use GeForce Experience to manage drivers, but it can update and reinstall NVIDIA drivers only. Driver Easy, on the other hand, can update not only your NVIDIA graphics drivers but all your other device drivers as well. Using a good driver tool like Driver Easy can help you get rid of computer issues incurred by your device drivers.

UndrState

Method 1 worked for me , many thanks ( I’m somewhat embarrassed that I got so bent out of shape LOL ) .